First Tournament Nerves!

[redruss]

Whether it's your first competition or 50th, nerves always come into play. Those butterflies and knots that you feel in the pit of your stomach are really just your body releasing adrenaline into your system in preparation for fight or flight. Most of us don't understand the feeling so mistake it for fear. If you can learn to understand that its a perfectly natural reaction (like being hungry or having to pee) you will find that its simply your body's way of giving you natural boost in preparation for your performance. We all suffer from it, seasoned fighters just get used to the feeling... keep entering tournaments and you will too in time!

I couldn't sleep the night before my first comp. Nerves affect people in many ways, sometimes they stiffen a persons performance. As time goes on and you gain more confidence you will find that you'll relax a little more each time.

Try concentrating on your breathing technique before you are called up to help keep the heart rate down and your adrenaline in check. If you allow the adrenaline to eat away at you it can wear you down before you even start. I find tapping my feet helps too.